Detachable hook for shaft-work.



APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1908.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

IIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOI? CHAELFSUI/DWELLATTORNEYS" rns NORRIS PETERS cm. wnsumcrou, n. c.

CHARLES O. VOWELL, OF RED LODGE, MONTANA.

DETACHABLE HOOK FOR SHAFT-WORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Application filed August 1, 1908. Serial No. 446,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. V OWEL'L,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Red Lodge, in the county ofCarbon and State of Montana, have invented an Improve ment in DetachableHooks for ShaftWVork, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the use of a hook which can be automaticallydetached from a cable and it consists in the constructions, combinationsand arrangements hereafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a hook which may be used as asafety device for the protection of the lives of miners who are carriedup and down a shaft. It is equally applicable to certain types ofelevators which are drawn up and down a shaft by means of cablesattached to the upper part of a cage and which pass over pulleys at thetop of a gallows frame.

In carrying out my invention 1 provide a hook having two pivoted partsarranged to engage a common member attached to a cable chain and to bedisengaged from said common member by the engagement of an actuatingring which is placed in the path of the moving hook and through whichthe cable is adapted to pass. When the pivoted hook members aredisengaged from the cable they engage the ring upon its upper edgethereby holding the cage suspended from the ring, as will be hereinaftershown.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a view partly in section showing the hook attached to thering and the cable released. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hookmembers as attached to the cable. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section alongthe lines III-III in Fig. 2.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, A designates a draw-bar providedwith an enlarged lower end B, and having the usual bolt holes 0 by whichthe cage or elevator may be attached. The upper end of the draw-bar Aconsists of a semicircular member D. The two hook members E E, arepivoted at their lower ends at F and F respectively, on cross-pieces G.Each of these hook members is provided towards its upper end with asemicircular recess H and a similar recess I, about midway of the hook.At the outer upper side of each hook there is the shoulder J, arrangedto engage the upper surface of a ring K when the hooks E E are forcedapart.

Surrounding the movable hook members E E is a flattened loop or ring L,provided. with a flange M, on its lower edge.

loop L is arranged to be moved up or down, and its normal condition isshown in Fig. 2.

The eye of the cable (not shown) is spliced to the upper pivot bolt N,of a link 0, while to the lower pivot bolt P, of the link is at- 1tached a bar provided with a semicircular end Q.

Fig. 2 shows the manner in which the hook is attached to the cable. Thepin P, is placed in the opening H, while the bar Q, falls into the upperhalf of the recess I. The draw-bar A is forced u )wardly until its upperend D meets the bar when the two hooks are brought together, and thering L is sli ped upwardly into the position shown in Flg. 2, until theshoulders J of the hooks prevent it from going any further. In ordinaryuse the ring L is prevented from slipping downwardly by means of thecopper rivets R, and it will be seen that with such an arrangement as isshown in Fig. 2, there is no possibility of the cable becoming detachedfrom the hook, since in order to do so some parts of the apparatus mustgive away.

The operation of the device is as follows: The ring K is secured justbeneath the pulley or wheel over which the cable passes, this wheelbeing suspended at the top of the shaft. Ordinarily the cable passesfreely through this ring; in cases of emergency however, such as whenthe engineer inadvertently allows the drum to draw the cable too farthereby endangering the lives of the men in the cage, the ring effectsthe disconthe same time causing the hook to become attached to the upperedge of the ring itself. The cable in passing upwardly through the ringK carries with it the hook. Now, when the flange M of the ring L engagesthe lower flange S of the ring K at the top of the shaft, the copperrivets It are immediately sheared off and the ring L is forceddownwardly. At the same time the weight of the cage pulls the draw-bar Adownwardly and the cylindrical cam surfaces of the end of the drawbar Dforce both the hooks apart thereby permitting the disengagement of theattaching member of the cable, and allowing the latter to pass freelyover the wheel. At the nection of the hook from the cable, while atsarnetime the shoulders J of both hooks are .forced so far apart thatwhen the cage descends slightly they will engage the upper edge of thering K and hold the cage sus pended from the latter.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a detachable hook which isautomatic in its action, and for all ordinary purposes the hook isperfectly secure, since there is very little tendency for the ring L toslip down wardly. In fact the friction of the ring is almost enough tokeep it in position. When, however, the small ring L engages the largerring K the impact is sufiicient to shear oif the copper rivetsinstantly, when the hooks spring apart in the manner already described.

It is obvious that other forms of the device embodying the sameprinciple might be made, but I shall claim as my own all suchmodifications as fairly fall within the spirit and the scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In a safety device, a pair of opposed hooks pivoted at their lowerends and provided on their inner sides with upper and lower recesses,and having on their outer sides shoulders, a movable draw-bar disposedbetween said hooks and having a head adapted to enter the lower of'saidrecesses, a link having a pivot arranged to enter the upper of saidrecesses and provided with a depending bar having a head arranged toenter the lower of said recesses, a ring provided with a flangesurrounding said hook members and movable therealong, copper rivetsarranged to retain said ring normally 2. In a safety device, a pair ofpivoted hook members arranged to close upon one another, an interposeddraw-bar arranged to be engaged by said hook members, a link having apivot arranged to be engaged by said hook members, a bar depending fromsaid link and having a head at its lower end arranged to be engaged bysaid hooked members, a movable ring surrounding said hooks and normallyclosing them together, and a second ring arranged to engage the firstmentioned ring and to force the latter downwardly, thereby permittingthe opening of the hooks and the release of the link and bar and theengagement of the hooks with said second ring.

CHARLES O. VOWELL. ViiJIlGSSGSI F. H. ALDEN, F. W. LYLE.

